FORMER Rangers youngster Dean Furman says his fellow South African Bongani Zungu threw away the chance of becoming an Ibrox star.

Zungu arrived on loan from French side Amiens in October 2020 but struggled for game-time while the club was rampaging towards the title.

Last February he was one of five players fined by police for breaching lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Light Blues decided against the option of signing the midfielder on a permanent deal in the summer.

Furman, who played alongside Zungu for Bafana Bafana, admits he was surprised he didn't grasp his opportunity.

He told the Rangers Review: “Last season there was even more interest in Rangers with Bongani Zungu being there, who I played with at South Africa, and I was really excited for him.

“I thought it could be a really good fit for him but unfortunately it didn’t quite work out.

“Maybe that was down to the success of the team. If the team does that well, the player doesn’t really get an opportunity, he gets 15 minutes here and a cup game there. It’s very hard to, all of a sudden, kind of showcase yourself in such a short space of time.

“I know there was some off the field stuff in which he didn’t help himself.

“I was disappointed for him that he had a real opportunity to showcase some South African talent and it didn’t quite happen.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DEAN FURMAN HERE